Mchale is starting to Get it

[carlherrera]

There is a lot of luck involved in these things...
If the Wolves get lucky and draft Rubio at PG next year (assuming Rubio continues to develop, he'll be a better version of Derek Rose) then this team has a chance to be good.
Having said that, McHale had arguably the BEST player in the league for the past 7 years and he was unable to put a decent team around him (except for one season). I don't know if it was all McHales fault but at the end of the day that is simply unacceptable.
When you have the one in a lifetime luck of landing a KG type of player you simply have to take advantage of it; no excuses.
Yes, he's getting better this year. the OJ Mayo trade for K Love and M Miller was simply brilliant. OJ is overrated. There are litle indications that he will be a star in this league (except for the last nine games he played in college which is a rather small sample size).

[JSD]

Has Mchale taken a page from Danny Ainge?

KM has grown a ton on the job and relieving himself of KG has allowed him to operate in a fashion that he's more comfortable by developing, finding talent and building trade chips.

I do have a question: Troy Hudson got bought out by the Twolves. Why is he not hurting their cap anymore?

http://hoopshype.com/salaries/minnesota.htm

I believe they are supposed to pay him 6.3 million this year, so that should count against the cap, unless they paid it all last year.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2956359

Could hoopshype be wrong?

I would say yes, Hoopshype is wrong.

unless there is some type of buyout that allows the # not to count against the cap?

Or maybe Mchale did made another sketchy move behind the scenes? haha

...Nah, they're wrong.

[JSD]

Has Mchale taken a page from Danny Ainge?

KM has grown a ton on the job and relieving himself of KG has allowed him to operate in a fashion that he's more comfortable by developing, finding talent and building trade chips.

I do have a question: Troy Hudson got bought out by the Twolves. Why is he not hurting their cap anymore?

http://hoopshype.com/salaries/minnesota.htm

I think McHale has a long way to go before we declare "he gets it".  And as much as I love Danny's moves last offseason, like all great moves, they required quite a bit of luck.  Whose to say that even if McHale does build up the right chips, there are going to be vets available the quality of Garnett and Allen.  To find two vets of that quality available at all, let alone within a month or two of each other, is extremely unlikely to happen again. 

If we are going by you need 3 stars to win is the NBA:

1st Guy - Al can be at least a #3 guy on championship team within 5 healthy years. I think he will be an ace.

2nd Guy - Out of their entire young talent pool can one of those player develop into a sidekick or # 3 guy? I think Love? Foye?

3rd Guy - Every year there seems to be at least 1 player that’s for sale for cap relief and young talent. The T-wolves will have both to gamble with and take a max guy.

So yes Danny was lucky in a sense but Mchale actually has an advantage because he acquired players and a future ace through trading an aging all-star. DA did not.

[nickagneta]

I would love to know what Big Ticket's opinion on McHale "getting it" all of a sudden.

I mean we are still talking about the guy that lost 5 straight first round draft picks because he was caught tampering on Joe Smith of all players, right?

We are still talking about the guy who's four coaches he's hired are himself, Flip Saunders, Dwayne Casey, and Randy Wittman, right?

We are still talking about the guy that brought in such high quality individuals such as Latrell Spreewell, Stephon Marbury, Ricky Davis and Mark Blount into the franchise, right?

We are still talking about one of the greatest low post talents in the history of the game who in 14 years has developed exactly one good big man, Kevin Garnett, right?

I think McHale is making some good moves that in 3-5 years, if he is still there, might, I repeat, might pay off. But I would still put him down in the bottom third of NBA front office guys and that not being on the high side of that number. I just think he isn't a very good front office guy.

[BballTim]

  McHale was seen as a good gm until a few years ago. Losing those draft picks wasn't his only problem, but that clearly hurt.

[JSD]

"I mean we are still talking about the guy that lost 5 straight first round draft picks because he was caught tampering on Joe Smith of all players, right?"

I'm not sure how you’re correlating the two but you’re making my point. The Joe Smith situation highlights Mchale’s trouble managing the cap in the old CBA.


"We are still talking about the guy who's four coaches he's hired are himself, Flip Saunders, Dwayne Casey, and Randy Wittman, right?"

Yes McHale chose those coaches despite Larry Brown and Phil Jackson begging and pleading to join and be apart of the TWolves of Minnesota. 

"We are still talking about the guy that brought in such high quality individuals such as Latrell Spreewell, Stephon Marbury, Ricky Davis and Mark Blount into the franchise, right?"


Again this goes back to his Cap situition and economics. You get what you pay for (or can afford)

"We are still talking about one of the greatest low post talents in the history of the game who in 14 years has developed exactly one good big man, Kevin Garnett, right?"

Yes he helped develop a top 10 PF of all time.

"I think McHale is making some good moves that in 3-5 years, if he is still there, might, I repeat, might pay off. But I would still put him down in the bottom third of NBA front office guys and that not being on the high side of that number. I just think he isn't a very good front office guy."

as of now you are correct but he is a different GM with KG gone and I think he's in a comfort zone that he's never been in before.

[KGamblePreBigContract]

My take:

McHale knew if he kept Mayo, that he'd have a team that would make but be eliminated in the first round for the foreseeable future.  McHale went with Love knowing they won't be as good this year, hoping that next year he will be able to draft an impact PG/SG/SF.  If he went with Mayo, the Wolves wouldn't have seen another lottery pick for another 5 years if all panned out with Mayo.  By taking Love, he's solidified a nucleus that is in need of one talented mobile offensive threat - that can be rectified via a lottery pick in the draft next year.

[JSD]

My take:

McHale knew if he kept Mayo, that he'd have a team that would make but be eliminated in the first round for the foreseeable future.  McHale went with Love knowing they won't be as good this year, hoping that next year he will be able to draft an impact PG/SG/SF.  If he went with Mayo, the Wolves wouldn't have seen another lottery pick for another 5 years if all panned out with Mayo.  By taking Love, he's solidified a nucleus that is in need of one talented mobile offensive threat - that can be rectified via a lottery pick in the draft next year.

I don't buy it. The West is to stacked for Mayo to make that much of a difference over Love.

[KGamblePreBigContract]

Maybe you are right - but as I stated, I'm only talking about a first round elimination, squeezing into the playoffs, that middle territory, not good enough to make it beyond the first round, not bad enough for lotto pick. 

Mayo and Love are two totally different positions.  I think someone who can be mobile and create his own shot (Mayo) will complement Big Al and greatly improve the team as opposed to having two very good low post players (Al and Love), who won't accomplish much without someone who can create his own offense in order to earn double teams on rotations resulting in a ball toss to Big Al (or Love) in the paint for an easy assists.  Love will be great, for what he is, but the TWolves still need a mobile offensive weapon to open up the floor for the bigs (Al and Love).  I stand by my suggestion that McHale 'drafting' Love over Mayo opens up a better possibility of them getting a quality sg/sf in the draft next year (as opposed to taking Mayo this year and then forever being in search of a 2nd big to complement Big Al - not easy to find in any draft with any pick), it's much easier to get someone in the top 15 of the draft even if a step down on the talent scale from Mayo who can still create his own shot, than it is to get a KLove clone (a talented big).

Mayo and Al would have greatly complemented each other.  A team with a strong mobile offensive weapon (Mayo) and a strong low post player (Al) is going to win games.  Love and Al are a little redundant.  They are still going to be in need of a pg/sg/sf who can open up the floor and feed Big Al (and Love).

[Moranis]

I just looked at some of McHales trades and draft picks over the years and I just scratch my head.  I mean he acquired Dean Garrett and Bobby Jackson for two players AND two first round picks.  If that was the only blip so be it, but his drafts have all been horrible and most of his trades have backfired.  His free agent signings may take the cake on disaster.  McHale is an awful GM and a few half way decent moves in the last 3 months doesn't change that fact.